Addressograph



R. B. SMART.'

ADDRESSOGRAPH.

APPLICATION man MAH.8.,1919.

. 1,337,970. Patented Apr. zo, 1920. @im

RUPERT IB. SMART, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

` ADDRESSOGRAPI-I.

Specification of Letters Fatent.

Application led March 8, 1919. Serial No. 281,413.

To all whom t may concern: Y

Be it known that I, RUPERT B. SMART, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Chicago,'in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Addressographs, or' which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved addressing machine, and has for its principal objects the provision of a simple and compact machine capable of being readily employed in successively printing addresses or the like upon wrappers or other containers of the subject matter to be distributed; to improve the construction andl increase the efficiency and utility of machines of this type; and to provide a machine characterized by being easily manufactured at low cost.

My invention also contemplates certain novel details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts of the improved machine, whereby other important 'advantages are attained, 'as will be more fully described hereafter, and pointed out in the claims.

One embodiment of my invention is illustrated in a preferred form in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 illustrates a top plan view of the improved machine, a portion of which is shown broken away in order to better disclose certain interior movable parts;

. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the same;

Fig. 3, represents a view in transverse cross-section taken along'the line 3--3 of Fig. 4 is anenlarged detailed View of a portion of the interior actuation mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, the reference characters 5 and 6 respectively denote the base and side walls of the frame which may be secured at one end to any suitable support as 7. A portion of the upper face of the base 5 is cut away in order to provide a longitudinal slot or slidewayv 8 for the reception at one side thereof of the movable rack bar 9 which is provided with a series of equidistant stop pins lO-projecting laterally toward but-removed from Athe side of the slideway. Seated-upon this rack bar and movable with it is a metallic galley receptacle l11 in'which thel galley 12, comprising the equidistant addressing type elements 18, is positioned through the instr-u= mentality of any suitable filler block means, as 14. During the movement of the rack bar the receptacle receives adequ'atevguiding support through its contactual relation with the remaining upper side portions of the base 5 and the side walls 6 of the frame.

Toy insure that the movement of the rack bar may be duly communicated to the receptacle when thus positioned, the latter has at its rear end a block 15 apertured to receive -a thumb-screw 16 the reduced neck 16 of which is engaged in an upstanding bracket 17 secured upon the rear end of the bar 9. This engagement is such that not only is there concurrent movement, but also by manipulating thev thumb-screw head the relative position of the type elements with respect to the platen 18 of the cross-head 19 may be very readily and accurately advjusted. By bringing one of these elements centrally under and in alinement with the platen, the correct positioning of all is assured as they are spaced an equal predetermined distance apart, each of lthe elements preferably containing a complete address and having allocated to it one of the stop pins 10.

Beneath the base 5 is a cross-bar 20 corresponding in allsubstantial respects to the cross-head 19, both being connected together to move as avunit by the pair of parallel connecting` rods 21 which pass through and have a slidingv fit in the side walls 6, the upper ends 21 of said rods being offset or bent rearwardly so that the vertical or body portions thereof may serve as positioning elements for the wrapper or other blank 22 during the impressing of an address thereon by whatever type element may be brought into operative position under the platen 18. This latter member may be formed of any suitable soft or fibrous material, as rubber; and by reason of the offset character of the rods the imprint on the wrapper will be made at a desirable distance in from its front edge.

The cross-bar is centrally provided with a dependent rod 23, the latter in turn passing through the base portion 24 of a bifurcated bracket whose upwardly extending arms 24 are secured against the under face of the base 5. About the upper portion of the rod is ay helical spring 38, the ends of which take against the cross-bar and said base portion 244 to hold the cross-head in its normal, position as.v shown.l The lowerl end Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

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portion4 of the rod has rigidly secured to it a bracket 25, and its extreme end is formed with an eye 26 designed to receive a pedal strap member of which only a fragmentary portion is indicated at 27 in Fig. 2. It will suffice to state that a downward pressure exerted on the rod by the foot of the operator will operate to depress the eross-head against the action of the spring which latter serves to return the head to its normal position, whereupon the next succeeding type element will be brought into register with the platen for the imprinting of the address upon the next wrapper, by the means now to be described.

The reference numeral 28 designates a stop-rod which is secured at its lower end to the bracket 25, as is the connecting rod 29, the upper end of said stop rod having a slid ing iit in a nipple 3() carried by the lower base Wall of the slideway 8 and extends into the slideway to engage and limit the forward movement of that stop pin corresponding to whatever type element 13 may be in register with the platen. Upon depression of' the rod 23 it will necessarily follow that the stop rod in turn is depressed to clear that pin with which it had co-acted.

Mounted for reciprocative movement in that unoccupied part of the slideway to the left of the rack-bar, and preferably rearwardly of the cross-head, is a pawl-carrier 31 having a portion of its under face at 31 undercut to clear the stop pins and provided preferably in advance of its front face with an inclined spring-metal pawl or ratchet iinger 32 which normally is in terminal contact with the rear side of that pin whose front face is already in engagement with the upper end of the stop-rod 28. By this co-action the galley container is locked in operative position after each intermittent movement of the rack-bar.

The connecting rod 29 has its upper end detachably engaging the long arm 33 of a lever which takes the form of a bell-crank lever and is fulcrumed on a bracket 34 secured to the base 5 just below a slot 35 in which an extension 36 of the pawl-carrier works during reciprocation of the latter. With this extension the short arm 37 of said lever has a lost-motion connection, as Shown.

With the parts positioned as above described. and assuming that correct adjustment of the galley with respect to the platen has been obtained by manipulation of the thumb-screw 16, the operation of the machine may be briefly set forth as follows,

understanding of course that a wrapper has been fed to take up a position with its front marginal edge contacting against the rods 21 as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. The operator then Y depresses the cross-head rod 23 which in turnvdepresses the stop-rod 28 to clear the stop-pin it engaged. During this movement, the connecting rod 29 actuates the short arm of the lever on a short arc in a clock-wise direction, thereby retracting the pawl-carrier 31 whose spring pawl finger ratchets idly over the next succeeding pin to engage its'rear face. Obviously upon release of the foot-actuated member 27, the finger advances the paWl-carrier one rstep during the elevation of the stop rod under the influence of the spring 38,' and just at the completion of the step the stop rod interposes itself in the path of said pin to hold it. Upon the initial release of the rod 23 the addressed wrapper is removed, and another fed in to take its place in readiness to receive the imprint thereon ofthe address contained in that type element. which has just been advanced. As will be apparent. this intermittent movement of the galley is maintained by successive depressions of the pedal member until' all of the desired addresses have been imprinted upon the requisite number of wrappers. Other advantages of the machine will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

What I claim is 1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a frame having a slideway, a receptacle movable therein and provided with a series of spaced type elements embodying the addresses to be printed, a depressible cross-head having work position-` ing arms vertically slidable in and guided by the frame atopposite sides of therslide- `way and an actuating rod yieldingly mounted in and depending below said frame, said cross-head provided with a platen designed to coperate with a type element upon depression of the head, and coacting means associated with said rod and receptacle capable of successively positioning and then advancing the type elements during movement of the head, said arms transversely alined above the frame. whereby they are adapted to serve as work-positioning elements. and terminally provided with a connection below the frame with said actuating rod.

2. In an addressing machine, the combination with a galley comprising a seriesV of spaced addressing type elements, of a frame provided Witha slideway in which said galley is slidably mounted, a rack bar for said galley and associated therewith, a pedal-actuated spring-held head vertically depressible in side portions of the slideway to successively coperate with said elements,

a releasable stop rod for said rack bar and means for intermittently advancingA said galley constructed and arranged to be actuated subsequent upon the depression of said head and the release of said stop rod, said head having guided movement in said side portions. v l

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a frame having a slideway and a galley carrier in said slide- Way, said carrier provided With spaced lateral pins, and said frame provided With a head over said carrier and a stop rod normally engaging one of said ins, said head and said rod simultaneous y downwardly movable in said frame, and means engaging another of said pins for advancing said carrier during movement of said head and rod.

4. In an addressing machine, the combination with a galley comprising a receptacle and a series of spaced addressing type elements blocked in said receptacle, of a frame provided With a slideWay, a movable galley carrier in said slideWay adjustably connected with said galley and provided with a series of lateral projections corresponding substantially With said elements, a head provided With an overhead platen adapted to coperate successively With said elements, a stop rod and a pawl in said slide- Way positioned to engage a projection to hold the carrier, a support for said paWl adapted to reciprocate in said slideway, means for reciprocating said support, and a single pedal-actuated spring-held operating member for said means and for said head and stop rod.

5. In an addressing machine, the combination of a frame, a galley carrier slidable in said frame, a rack bar for said carrier, said frame being constructed to provide a space in a part of which the rack bar is positioned, a head block depressible relatively of the frame, a stop rod normally engaging said rack bar and releasable upon depression of said head block, a pedal actuated device for actuating said block and said stop rod, and means for imparting intermittent movement to said carrier upon release of said stop rod comprising an actuator positioned to reciprocate in the other part of said space and to engage said rack bar to actuate it, said actuator operatively associated with said pedal actuated device and adapted when at rest to coperate with the stop rod and rack bar to position the carrier.

6. In an addressing machine, the combination of a frame, a galley carrier slidable in said frame, a rack bar for said carrier, said frame being constructed to provide a space in a part of which the rack bar is positioned, a head block depressible relatively of the frame, a stop rod normally engaging said rack bar and releasable upon depression of said head block, a pedal actuated device or actuating said block and said stop rod, and means for imparting intermittent movement to said carrier upon release of said stop rod comprising an actuator positioned to reciprocate in the other part of said space and to engage said rack bar to actuate it, said actuator operatively associated With said pedal actuated device and adapted when at rest to coperate with the stop rod and rack bar to position the carrier, said device including arms terminally engaging said block and slidably mounted in opposed side Vportions of the frame, substantially as described.

RUPERT B. SMART. 

